Opening of the Lengthsman’s Hut

The ‘Our Picturesque Landscape’ Project has restored this old lengthsman’s hut near the Horseshoe Falls, which was used historically as a store and shelter by workers employed on the Llangollen Canal. Huts or hovels like these provided a welcome shelter for the lengthsmen who carried out the maintenance along a length of canal, usually about 3 miles.

Did You Know?

Originally the term lengthsman would have applied to the man who was paid to keep a ‘length’ of road tidy and passable as long ago as the 1300s! One lengthsman would have been responsible for maintaining a length of about 3 miles and would keep grass and weeds cleared. All this work was done of course, without the aid of modern day tools and electricity.

The lengthsman’s hut would have been used to store hand tools and materials, such as grass cutting and hedge trimming tools and sharpeners, weed rakes (kebs), spades and shovels. They would have needed buckets to carry essential materials such as clay for stopping leaks and chippings to gravel the tow path in muddy places. A wheelbarrow was a useful tool as materials needed to be transported to where they were needed when a boat was not available.

After 6 months of restoration, the lengthsman’s hut will be open to the public for the first time on Tuesday 17^th May 10AM – 2PM.